Mice – Why Am I Seeing Them In The Summer?

Fall is typically the time of year when we think that insect activity starts to diminish, and rodent pressures ramp up. Not So! Lately there have been a high volume of calls for rodent activity in homes and businesses alike. Mice are always looking for shelter that can hold a nesting site for their young and they ARE opportunists.

Making sure your home or business is "tight" is quite simple and can prevent issues that can explode quickly indoors.

I Hear Scratching Sounds In My Attic and Walls!

Scratching or skittering sounds are an indication you have mice in the ceiling, wall, or floor cavities. If you are hearing them in your attic, chances are their entry point is along a pipe or wiring which they have scaled. Mice are good climbers and only need an opening the size of a pencil eraser to enter. Once their skull penetrates, the rest of the body flattens. Once in, they make for a genuinely nice nesting area most likely in the insulation and proceed to run pipes in the wall voids to travel to their food source - the kitchen!

Some indications that they are running pipes are typically “rub” marks left behind. Rub marks are left on surfaces when rodents run them repeatedly and the oil (lanolin) from their fur leaves a residue on the surface resembling a grease stain.

Common entry points in the kitchens are underneath the sink, dishwashers, and stoves. Many times, the pipework running to these appliances have a gap 1”-3” larger than the pipe or wire itself!

Mice will run along walls/structures and repeat the same path taken. They are creatures of habit and are extremely curious! Traps need to be placed strategically along their path and up against a wall but this alone is simply not enough.

Time To Be Proactive!

Start on the exterior looking for gaps ¼” or bigger. Basement windows are a common entry point on older structures as they tend to loosen from their casements. 

Look specifically around faucets, HVAC lines, cable lines, windows, doors, and vents in attics.

Areas where ventilation is still needed can be sealed off by using ¼” hardware cloth.

Steel wool can be used in lieu of copper Stuff It on the inside, but steel wool will rust on the exterior exposed areas.

If light is visible under doors, bristle sweeps are needed versus rubber which rodents can (and will) chew thru.

Use flashing for larger holes, copper stuff it for smaller.  ¼” or less can be caulked.

As you can see, spray foam is not suggested as mice, rats and other unwanted guests can easily chew thru it.

Remember – An Ounce of Prevention is Worth A Pound of Cure!